


Greeted by Death

by oomunhy



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Maze Runner, Angst, Character Death, Chronic Pain, Crank - Freeform, The Flare, The Maze Runner AU, VC321xb47
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 20:30:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11169498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oomunhy/pseuds/oomunhy
Summary: Somehow, Kihyun could feel it at the back of his eyes. The virus made him feel one kind of pain that he never felt before. And he knew what pain felt like.He had tasted many kinds of pain for the past years, and yet the virus amused him with the new one.





	Greeted by Death

**Author's Note:**

> Don't read this.

Kihyun got startled at the sound of the door being forced open. It couldn’t be Hyunwoo and the others, seeing they just left for less than an hour. Reaching for the nearest gun they had store in the quarter, Kihyun stepped forward and aimed the gun to the door, where he knew the intruders would come from. It wasn’t long before the knob moved on its own and the door was creaked open, revealing two unfamiliar faces in front of him.

“Whoa, calm down, dude.” One of them raised his hands in a mocked surrender manner upon seeing the gun on Kihyun’s arms.

“Who are you?” Kihyun asked as he lifted his gun higher.

The other man, who looked like he had been practicing poker face for his whole life, calmly answered, “I’m Changkyun,” then pointed at his friend who was now wandering around the room, “This is Hyungwon-hyung,” and then pointed to Kihyun, “And you are Kihyun-hyung.”

“How –”

“We are sent to take you with us,” he, Changkyun, said without missing a beat. If Kihyun was to meet Changkyun in other circumstances, he might’ve asked whether the guy’s brain was programmed or it was just his resting face. But now wasn’t the time, they are not going to take him anywhere. He wasn’t leaving his friends behind.

“Take me where? Who sent you?”

Hyungwon, still with his carefree appearance, was the one who gave him an answer, “To the place where we can live as long as we can without hurting our relatives.”

“We, as in?”

“We, as in, Changkyunnie and me. And you. And others who aren’t immune and whose brain get corrupted with the Fl–”

“Hyung!” Changkyun cut of before the word could escape from Hyungwon’s lips. But it was too late, Kihyun knew what Hyungwon meant, his damaged brain gave the information away, “The Flare. This thing inside my head that –”

“– Is going to kill you or make you kill your friends one day, yes, that thing,” Hyungwon supplied helpfully, as if killing his friends was ever an option for Kihyun.

Kihyun pulled a chair and sat down, trying to process on what Changkyun and Hyungwon said to him. Gun set aside, he clasped his own hands and rested his forehead on them. When he looked up again, Changkyun and Hyungwon were also sitting down on the chairs across the room. Hyungwon looked bored and Changkyun looked like he was ready to answer any questions that Kihyun might throw to them.

Kihyun did, “Do I have to go?”

Changkyun’s face immediately looked troubled, but not surprised. He carefully picked the words, “Well, yes, that’s what’s preferred, but –”

“Honestly, no one is forcing you. You don’t have to come with us and just kill all your friends in the go,” Hyungwon spat out the sarcasm. Oddly enough, Kihyun liked that kind of trait Hyungwon showed him, and if he got the chance to live in other lives, he might say that he wanted Hyungwon as his friend.

But for now –

“I don’t want to leave them behind,” Kihyun whispered to the thin air in front of him. All his memories of this life had involved Hyunwoo in every possible way, he didn’t want to. Kihyun wasn’t leaving his friends behind. But he knew he should.

Hyungwon seemed to read his mind, “If you leave them behind, they will be safe and if they’re lucky then they could make it to the Paradise. You, on the other hand, might die, or, you know, go crazy like everyone else. But if you stay, it’s either you will eventually kill them and you’ll be all alone, or they are the ones that will leave you behind. Your choice.”

 _I might die_ , Kihyun said in his head. Wasn’t it something that he really wanted ever since in the Maze? He might die and Hyunwoo wouldn’t be there to worry over him anymore. He might die and let Hyunwoo lived his life in the Paradise, wherever that was. But the place sounded nice, and Hyunwoo deserved nice things after years stuck with Kihyun and his miserable life. Hyunwoo would be happy, right?

“Can I at least leave them a note or something?”

Hyungwon shrugged, but Changkyun nodded, “Sure, hyung. We still have time.”

 

* * *

 

 

It had been weeks, but in the back of his mind, somehow Kihyun knew that Hyunwoo and Minhyuk would eventually find him. The Crank Palace wasn’t that well-hidden. He was alone in one of the hallway when he heard their footsteps coming close from behind. Sighing, he grumbled without even looking back, “I thought I told you to go on without me.”

“We need to talk to you,” Hyunwoo said, moving a couple of feet closer to Kihyun.

“Hyung, don’t,” Kihyun answered, “Please don’t come any closer.”

As in cue, Hyungwon and Changkyun appeared from the door in front of him. Hyungwon gave him a tight smile. Kihyun continued, “These guys brought me here for a reason. I’m not an immune, not like you guys. They took me when you left the quarter, because I’m one of their own, because I don’t belong there.”

Minhyuk spoke up, “Kihyun, I’m sorry that we left you, I’m sorry they brought you here. But we can leave this place now. We can take you with us, we will find the cure. Together.”

Kihyun slowly twisted around to face them. As much as he hated it, Kihyun was thankful that Hyungwon had lent him a Launcher. Minhyuk looked like he was about to throw up upon seeing Kihyun’s state and Launcher.

“Kihyunnie, calm down. There’s no need to point a Launcher at us while we talk,” Hyunwoo said, barely affected with the weapon.

Kihyun’s finger hovered over the trigger, but he had no intention to press it, even for any drastic measures. He just needed to make them leave.

“I appreciate you guys coming for me, I really do. But this is where it ends, this is the time for you to turn around and walk back to your quarter, find your Paradise, or do something else to save this world like you’ve always wanted. Just, – just leave.”

“I’m not leaving,” Hyunwoo’s voice sounded so cold, so unlike Hyunwoo. Kihyun wondered if the gentle man from the Glade had changed as well.

Hyunwoo took a step closer, “You are our friend, Kihyun. _My_ friend. I’m taking you home. It doesn’t matter if your mind isn’t well or something, just do it with us, with me.”

Kihyun saw red.

“I am a Crank, hyung! A Crank! Why can’t you get that through your head? If you had the Flare and knew what you were about to go through, would you want your friends to stand around and watch? Huh? Would you want that?” He was shouting by the end of his sentence, hoping to at least make Hyunwoo took a step back.

But Hyunwoo didn’t say anything, seemingly trying to find words and coming up empty. Kihyun’s glare shifted to Minhyuk.

“And you, Minhyukkie,” Kihyun said, lowering his voice. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here and asking me to leave with you. After all the things you did to us, _to me_ , and you still have the nerve. You know that the sight of you makes me sick, right?”

Kihyun didn’t mean any of that. But the virus somehow got the worst on him that day, even he could feel Changkyun’s concern look without looking. He might have hurt Minhyuk more than he had ever hurt anyone, but he couldn’t control his mind. Not when his friends being as stubborn as he was.

“Kihyun, I –”

Kihyun cut the words off, “I’m sorry, Minhyukkie. I’m sorry. But I need you to listen to me. I’m getting worse by the hour and I don’t have many sane ones left. Please just leave.”

He let out a dry sob before continuing, “I’m begging you, Minhyuk. I’m begging you to do this one thing for me. As sincerely as I’ve ever asked for anything in my life, I want you to do this for me. Hyungwon and Changkyun are a lot like me, we are planning to break out and head for a much better place. I’m going with them.”

No one said anything, but he could see the tremble from Minhyuk’s lips. Kihyun lowered his Launcher for a bit, “I don’t expect you to understand, but I can’t be with you guys anymore. It’s going to be hard enough for me now, and it’ll make it worse if I know you have to witness it. Or worst of all, if I hurt you. Let’s say our goodbyes and then you can promise to remember me from the good old days.”

“I can’t do that,” Hyunwoo said.

“Screw you, hyung!” Kihyun yelled. “Do you have any clue how hard it is to be calm right now? I said my piece and I’m done. Now get out of here! Do you understand me? Get out of here!”

Kihyun held his Launcher in shooting position, his eyes wild with fury. Hyunwoo moved forward. Kihyun needed to do something, _anything_ , to make them leave, “Stop or I’ll start shooting.”

“Kihyunnie –”

Kihyun aimed the weapon at Hyunwoo, hoping that none of his friends saw how shaking his arms were. “Now you guys leave. No more discussion. I’m sorry.”

Hyunwoo calmly held up his hands. “You’re going to shoot me? Kihyunnie?”

“Go,” Kihyun said. “I asked nicely, hyung, but you didn’t listen. Now I’m telling you. This is hard enough. Go, please, hyung.”

Kihyun knew that he was going to burst into tears if Hyunwoo didn’t leave soon. If it was up to him, he would choose to go with Hyunwoo, wherever the older wanted to, because that was how much Kihyun loved Hyunwoo. But no, he wasn’t in the place to even consider.

Minhyuk broke out the silence, “Let’s go.”

Hyunwoo’s gaze snapped to Minhyuk, “No, Minhyuk. No, please, you are not serious, Minhyuk.”

“Hyung, let’s go.” Minhyuk turned back and started walking, his back visibly shaking. From crying, Kihyun concluded.

Hyunwoo looked sad and angry, his usual bright eyes glistening with tears, something that Kihyun never saw before.

“How did the world get so messed up?” The words barely came out from Hyunwoo’s lips, low and full of pain. His eyes fell to the floor, but so were Kihyun’s.

Kihyun turned back himself, dragging Hyungwon and Changkyun away from the hallway. If his new companions see tears in his eyes, he could always tell them that the sand got into his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Somehow, Kihyun could feel it at the back of his eyes. The Flare made him feel one kind of pain that he never felt before. And he knew what pain felt like. He had tasted many kinds of pain for the past years, and yet the Flare amused him with the new feeling. He knew he had trouble on focusing his sights, but that wasn’t new. He also felt his jaw bones kissing the skin that covered it. Hollow cheeks, dark circles around his eyes, and sight problem. From what he knew, the next thing that would come to him was memory loss, the thing he was afraid the most.

Now that Hyungwon and Changkyun were dead, Kihyun left the Crank Palace for good. He wanted, needed, to find a decent human being, an immune, to kill him and end his sufferings. Killing himself wasn’t an option, as Kihyun had the luck of green bean, who never succeed as many times as he tried before. He took the path down across the scorch, bringing nothing but a handgun. Lucky for him, Cranks didn’t really felt hunger or thirst. Or at least, as far as he knew, hunger wouldn’t kill him.

Days of days walking with no luck, Kihyun almost gave up and considered to try shooting himself. He even arrived at the oasis, where there were trees instead of just sand and sand. But that was when he detected a slight movement from behind the trees. His reflex was to put his guard up, but then he remembered that he was supposed to die and not defend himself. Slowly, he approached the source of the movement, expecting a real person to show up. Just, anyone.

Anyone but –

“Minhyukkie?”

The boy got startled upon hearing his name mentioned. His eyes widened at the sight of his long-lost friend. His big hands immediately flew to grab the other’s arms, “Kihyun! You are alive!”

At first Kihyun wanted to run away, because he was ashamed of what he did to his friends back in the Crank Palace. But if he really thought about it, Kihyun knew it was better this way. Die on his friend’s hand, that was.

“Minhyukkie, I need you to do me a favour,” Kihyun said, trying his best to ignore the pretty crinkles around Minhyuk’s eyes. Minhyuk nodded eagerly, muttering _anything_ as a respond, and Kihyun felt bad because he knew Minhyuk would do anything for Kihyun, as long as he came back to them. But that wasn’t what Kihyun wanted. Not even close.

Handing over the gun he had, Kihyun whispered, “Kill me.”

The words successfully made Minhyuk’s body become rigid. The hand that was about to reach Kihyun froze mid-air as his face went pale. Before Kihyun could say any more words, Minhyuk pulled him into a tight hug, one that surely would earn himself one good whack on the back of his head if he did it back in the Glade.

“Please don’t do this to me,” Minhyuk begged.

Kihyun pulled out from the hug.

“We both know that you need to do it. I want you to do it,” Kihyun whispered back before adding, “For me, Minhyuk.”

“No! I won’t do –”

“Don’t you understand? I’m suffering, Minhyuk, I’m in pain! Soon enough the Flare would fully get into my mind and I wouldn’t be able to remember what happened in the past years. I would have no memory of you, of the others, of –” Kihyun choked, “Of Hyunwoo-hyung.”

He sobbed out the last part. _Oh God_ , he didn’t want to forget Hyunwoo. Anyone but Hyunwoo.

Minhyuk stood numbly in front of him. He stayed silent, and Kihyun knew he was stuttering, but he didn’t stop, “I would rather die, Minhyukkie.”

“Kihyunnie –”                                                     

“Please Minhyukkie, please,” He was downright begging and he didn’t even care. Not when he was about to lose the world.

Kihyun stepped back before throwing the last blow that he knew would make Minhyuk pull the trigger, “Kill me, Minhyukkie. If you’ve ever been my friend, kill me.”

_BANG!_

The last thing he remember was Hyunwoo smiling at him, every night when Kihyun would welcome him home after he was deadly tired running around the Maze. The last thing he felt was happy, because he knew it wouldn’t be long before he got to meet Hoseok, Jooheon, Jaebum, Jinyoung, and his other fellow Gladers that had been gone way before Kihyun made it out of the Maze. And Yoongi. Oh, how he missed Yoongi.

And the last thing he saw was Minhyuk, eyes closed, hands clutched at the gun, face wet with tears and guilt. But Kihyun felt himself smile. Maybe, just maybe, in another life, when he got to meet Minhyuk again, he would get the chance hug the boy as a thank-you for ending his pain.

**Author's Note:**

> Why did you read it???


End file.
